Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 Read online

  He bent, kissed her cheek, and went into the boys’ room. Sandy settled back to Rachel.

  “I don’t know, Rachel,” Sandy said. “This isn’t going to end well. I just know it.”

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday morning – 8:15 A.M.

  “What the hell is that?” Maresol asked.

  She’d been in a downstairs bedroom getting ready for Seth’s homecoming when she heard something. Something definitely barky was going on in the hallway.

  “Oh no, you are not bringing that thing into my house!” Maresol pointed to the chocolate Labrador puppy Dale and Ava were playing with.

  “It was a present,” Ava said. “For Seth.”

  “I don’t care,” Maresol said. “It’s a peeing, pooping, and chewing nightmare.”

  “She’s so cute,” Dale said. “How can you not love this face?”

  “I do not like…” Maresol started. Ava was holding the puppy up so that it was near Maresol’s eyes. “Hrmph.”

  Maresol turned away from Ava and the puppy.

  “Why don’t you hold her?” Before Maresol could react, Ava set the puppy in the woman’s arms. The puppy started licking Maresol’s chin. She let out a little laugh.

  “I knew you didn’t hate dogs,” Ava said.

  Maresol gave Ava a sad smile and kissed the puppy.

  “So what’s the story?” Dale asked.

  “My Bonita had dogs,” Maresol said. “She loved those dogs like she loved her children – with fierce laughing love. After the children were killed, we had the dog for five more years, maybe more. Seth and I… We were both destroyed when he died. It was almost like losing the boys and Bonita all over again. I don’t think I can go through that.”

  Maresol’s hand went automatically to rub the puppy’s ears.

  “She is very cute,” Maresol said. “Where did she come from?”

  “One of the families of the kids,” Ava said. “They wanted to thank Seth for finding the man who killed their son and bringing him to justice. They breed Labradors and I guess she’s some prize.”

  “The pick of the litter,” Dale said. “That’s what they said. They gave us a crate, bowls, food and stuff. ”

  “Well, pick of the litter,” Maresol said. “Do you have a name?”

  Ava and Dale shook their heads.

  “What were your other dogs called?” Ava asked.

  “Seth named them after composers,” Maresol said. “The one we had after Bonita and the boys were killed was called Mozart.”

  “How about Clara?” Dale asked.

  “Clara?” Ava asked.

  “Clara Schumann, the greatest pianist of the nineteenth century,” Dale said.

  “How…?” Ava shook her head in wonderment that he came up with something so fast.

  “I looked up composers before they dropped her off,” Dale blushed. “And I like the name Clara. Plus, it seems to fit her.”

  “I like it,” Ava said.

  “Hello, Clarita,” Maresol set down the puppy and brought up her index finger. “You two will clean up the yard and the house after this thing. You will potty train her immediately. You will obedience train her and walk her at least once a day until Seth is better. And you will not let the puppy eat any, and I mean not a single piece, of my furniture.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Ava said.

  Dale was so surprised at Maresol’s change in demeanor, he just stared at her. Ava knocked his shoulder with the back of her hand.

  “Yes ma’am,” Dale said.

  “Good,” Maresol said. “Now put Clara in her crate and help me finish Seth’s room. He will be home in a few hours.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Dale repeated.

  She smiled at him and he laughed. Ava put Clara in her tiny puppy crate and went to help.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday mid-day – 11:45 A.M.

  “Okay,” Sandy stopped her pacing in front of Aden. “I was mad, but now I’m really pissed.”

  After being told that Sandy’s mother would be right out, they had been waiting in the lobby for nearly two hours.

  “She gets fifteen more minutes, then I’m leaving,” Sandy said. “And not coming back. No matter what.”

  Aden tried to hug Sandy but she shrugged him off. She continued pacing.

  “I can see why Charlie was mad,” Aden said.

  “Why?” Sandy asked.

  “Your pacing isn’t much better than Sissy’s frappé,” Aden said. “Did you know that frappé means ‘struck’? It refers to the dancer touching the floor and their ankle.”

  “It may as well mean stuck,” Sandy said.

  “I looked it up on your iPhone,” Aden said.

  “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” a nurse said as she entered the waiting room. “Your mother is ready to see you now. Will you follow me?”

  “In the nick of time,” Sandy said under her breath. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “I’m sorry,” the nurse said. “Did you say something?”

  “No, nothing,” Sandy said.

  “Is this your husband?” the nurse said.

  “This is Aden,” Sandy said.

  “Your mother’s talks a lot about how proud she is of you,” the nurse said. “She’ll be right in with her therapist.”

  “She didn’t ask about Sissy or Charlie?” Sandy asked.

  “She wanted to make sure they weren’t here,” the nurse said. “I know they’ve been begging to see her but it’s just too much for the poor dear. Your sister, Mitzi, has called her every night this week. She’s just too fragile for such a needy child. Mitzi is fourteen. She should be more independent, but you know how your mother is. She smothers you kids with love.”

  Behind the nurse, Sandy looked at Aden and made a vomit gesture. He almost laughed out loud. The nurse opened the door to a small room with a table in the middle. She gestured to the chairs.

  “I’ll tell you,” the nurse said. “Mitzi and Charles are going to have to grow up if your mother is ever going to come home.”

  “Grow up?” Sandy asked.

  “Jobs after school, hell, clean up after themselves,” the nurse sniffed at Sandy. Sandy gawked at the woman. “They are too old to require such babying. So are you. You kids are going to have to take some responsibility for yourselves.”

  Before Sandy or Aden could respond, the nurse pulled the door closed. Sandy tried to move her foot in a frappé but failed.

  “Did you hear that?” Sandy tried to move her foot again in a frappé. “Sissy? Needy? She just helped take down a serial killer and a nest of evil creatures. She is a super hero! Charlie too! He beat his addiction and helped Seth and… Those kids practically raised themselves!”

  “I answered the phone this week,” Aden said. “Your mother initiated every call.”

  “Lying bitch,” Sandy tried the frappé again.

  “Like to strike her?” Aden smiled.

  Sandy nodded. He pulled out a chair at the table and she sat down. They settled in for another wait.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-EIGHT

  Pond Scum

  Saturday mid-day – 12:45 P.M.

  Treatment Center, Tucson

  Sandy rubbed her left breast.

  “Sore?” Aden asked.

  “It’s the longest I’ve gone since Rachel was born,” Sandy gave a slight nod.

  “You’re leaking a little…” Aden pointed to her right breast.

  Sandy looked down at her blouse. She was reaching for the towel she carried with her when the door opened. She popped to her feet with the kitchen towel in her hand. Her mother came in with a man in a business suit and a kind-hearted looking woman. They stared at each other for a moment.

  “Nice to finally meet you,” Aden said. He held out his hand to Sandy’s mother. “I’m Aden Norsen, Sandy’s husband.”

  He put his hand on Sandy’s shoulder. Sandy’s Mom gave Aden a limp handshake.

  “Hi Mom,” Sandy said.

  “Don’t I get a hug?”
her Mom asked.

  “I…” Sandy pointed to the moisture on her blouse.

  “What did you spill?” Sandy’s mother’s false smile slipped to a look of sheer disgust. Before Sandy could answer, her mother sat down across the table leaving the man and woman standing in the doorway.

  “I’m Jeanette,” the woman took Aden’s hand and shook it. “Dr. Jeanette Smythe. Alice is my patient.”

  Sandy blinked at the use of the name ‘Alice’ for her mother. Her mother’s name was Patricia Delgado.

  “Alice?” Sandy blurted out.

  “I’ve left Patty behind, Sandy,” her mother said. “Too much pain and trauma. I’ve chosen Alice as my new name for my new life.”

  Stunned, Sandy blinked at the woman.

  “Vere Morgan,” the man shook Aden’s hand. “I’m Alice’s attorney. I apologize for the delay. I needed to prepare some of the paperwork required for today. Alice has had a tough time deciding her course of action. But we’re certain now. Right?”

  Somewhere between a scolding teacher and a kind Santa Claus, Vere raised an eyebrow to the-once-Patty. She gave him a soft, almost romantic smile. To keep from vomiting, Sandy focused her attention on her leaking breast. Her eyes caught the sparkle from her diamond wedding set. For the briefest moment, she was glad Aden had insisted on something so big. She was usually too embarrassed to wear it. But today, she was glad it was ostentatious and on her finger. The soon-to-be-Alice cleared her throat and Sandy looked up.

  “Sorry,” Sandy said. “We’ve been waiting a long time. It’s the longest I’ve been away from my daughter. She was a preemie so we nurse every two and a half or three hours.”

  “You’re feeding her like a cow?” The same-old-Patricia said.

  “I’m breastfeeding my daughter,” Sandy said.

  She opened her mouth to spout off all the reasons breast feeding was better for Rachel when Aden put his hand on her leg. She looked at him and smiled.

  “I hate to be rude,” Aden said. “But we need to get back to our children. Alice, you requested that we fly here with Sissy and Charlie. You asked me on Thursday if Sissy and Charlie could come here themselves. We’d like to know why you won’t see them now.”

  Sandy’s once-mother’s eyes filled with tears. She gave her psychologist an imploring look. Sandy scowled. Clearly the woman was Dr. Stupid.

  “If you’re going to take that tone,” Dr. Stupid said. “We’ll need to end this interview.”

  Aden was so surprised his mouth fell open for a second. He furrowed his brow and sat back in his chair.

  “This is a very painful conversation for me,” the-motherish-woman said. “I…”

  “What if I start?” the lawyer said.

  While the lawyer was looking for approval from the female-once-known-as-her-mother, Sandy squinted. She couldn’t remember his name. Bear? Swear? No something Presbyterian. Vere. Vere what? Vere the lawyer. That would have to do.

  “There’s no easy way to have this conversation,” Vere the lawyer said.

  “Give us some idea what we’re dealing with,” Aden stated.

  Presented with the lawyer, Aden switched to business mode. Sandy leaned back in her seat to allow him to take over. Her eyes shifted to the-creature-she’d-thought-was-her-mother.

  “Patricia Delgado has given as much as she can. She has worked her fingers to the bone, struggled, suffered and given until there is nothing left,” Dr. Stupid said. “Only a shell of a woman remained.”

  “In a few days, Patricia Delgado will cease to exist,” Vere the lawyer said.

  “From the ashes of Patricia Delgado, Alice Endicott will fly!” Mimicking the wings of a bird, Dr. Stupid’s arms went up. While Sandy tracked the motion, her eyes never left the-not-quite-a-bird creature sitting across from her.

  “So this is what you had planned,” Sandy said.

  “I’ve tried and given and tried and given, Sandy,” Patricia-becoming-Alice-once-her-mother said. “You of all people know how hard I’ve given.”

  “Yes, I know how much you’ve given,” Sandy snorted. Patricia-becoming-Alice scowled at her.

  “What does this have to do with us?” Aden asked.

  “Alice can no longer parent Mitzi and Charles Delgado,” the lawyer said.

  “We’re prepared to take full custody of Sissy and Charlie,” Aden said. “Is Patricia or Alice or whoever prepared to terminate her parental rights?”

  “There’s a sticking point with that,” Vere the lawyer said. “The children’s father arranged his estate so that Alice’s support is tied to the care of his children.”

  “Mitch was such a selfish bastard,” Dr. Stupid said. “Poor Patricia put up with him because she loved him so but…”

  “You will not say another word about my Dad,” Sandy jumped to her feet. Her voice was low and deadly. Her finger pointed like a dagger at Dr. Stupid’s heart. For a moment, there was no question who was the most powerful person in the room. Intimidated, the psychologist and lawyer fell back in their seats. “Not one word.”

  “See what I have to put up with?” the woman-who-always-hated-Sandy pretended to weep.

  Aden tugged at Sandy’s arm to get her to sit down.

  “Are we clear?” Sandy asked.

  “Perfectly clear,” Dr. Stupid said.

  The-almost-new-but-still-bitter-Alice gave Sandy a seething look.

  “Good,” Sandy sat down. “Now continue with the bullshit.”

  “Why don’t you cut to the chase?” Aden asked. “We’re in contact with Social Services. They’ve already established that we’re a suitable home for Sissy and Charlie. Terminating Patricia’s custody is only a matter of filing the paperwork. Do you have the documents prepared?”

  “By relinquishing her parental rights, Alice will no longer have access to medical benefits and the financial support provided by her deceased husband,” Vere the lawyer said.

  “How much?” Sandy asked.

  “Sandra really, I think…” the woman-Sandy-had-suffered-for started.

  “How much?” Sandy repeated.

  “The remaining parental benefits amount to almost three hundred thousand dollars,” Vere the lawyer said.

  “How about five?” Sandy asked. “Will five hundred thousand end this once and for all?”

  “Sandy?” Aden asked.

  His eyes took in her face. She shook her head. They had argued about this. While he disagreed with paying for the children outright, it was her call. He gave her a nod.

  “In gold,” the-woman-who-knew-the-entire-time-about-Sandy’s-abuse said.

  “So that’s what this is about,” Sandy leaned back against the chair. “The gold.”

  “I knew you had it,” the-creature-who-stood-by-and-did-nothing said. “I knew it!”

  “What gold?” Vere the lawyer and Dr. Stupid asked at the same time.

  Aden turned to assess Sandy. While he had no idea what she was talking about, he knew the look on her face – part shame, part rage, and a healthy dose of deep pain. This was about Sandy’s sexual abuse. He set his face to stone.

  “Patricia’s husband, the man I thought was my biological father, sexually abused me from the time I was about two years old,” Sandy said. “He made his living, and paid his child support, by prostituting me and selling the video tapes and photos of my sexual abuse. Because his activities were illegal, he was mostly paid in gold Krugerrands. He gave me a two-gallon jar of Krugerrands every Christmas. He said it was my college fund.”

  Sandy never broke eye contact with the woman-who-was-never-her-mother.

  “Patricia feels horrible about what happened,” Dr. Stupid said. “Everything that happened with her ex-husband – his death, the revelation of his horrible business, discovering what happened to you – was a crushing blow. It’s a key reason she’s leaving Patricia behind.”

  “Did she tell you that she was an active participant in the business?” Sandy asked.

  Dr. Stupid and Vere the lawyer turned to look at the w
omanish-thing-sitting across from her. Dr. Stupid recovered first.

  “How can you say that?” Dr. Stupid tried for indignant.

  “The only way this woman could have known about the gold is if she was involved from the very beginning,” Sandy said. “Did you steal me from my birth mother to have a child to build a prostitution and pornography business around?”

  The cruel-mammal sneered at Sandy. Crossing her arms, she looked away.

  “That’s what I thought,” Sandy continued staring at the breathing-garbage-in-human-form. “I always wondered how he managed to set up the business. He wasn’t very bright. But you? You could have set up the entire thing with a blink of an eye. And the new Internet business? Sheer brilliance. What were you? An equal partner? A share holder? What? Is that why you told Sissy we would live together? So you could restart the pornography business using her?”

  “You’re exhausting,” the speaking-residue said. “Don’t you get it? Your endless needs have destroyed me.”

  “We finish this now,” Aden said. “Or we leave and come back with law enforcement. The case we’re talking about is open and active. The FBI and Interpol are still tracking down active partners in the pornography ring. One phone call and…”

  “Fine,” the woman said. “Five hundred thousand.”

  “And you will terminate your parental rights to Mitzi and Charlie Delgado?” Aden asked.

  Dr. Stupid looked from Aden to the lawyer and back.

  “That’s correct,” Vere the lawyer said.

  “But I want it in gold,” the rubbish-who-was-never-to-be-seen-again-by-Sandy said.

  As if she’d never seen her before, Dr. Stupid gawked at her patient.

  “Here are your options,” Sandy said. “The money is wired into your account today or I go home and see about the gold. In order to access the gold, I’ll have to speak to Denver Police Detective Seth O’Malley as he’s the only one who knows its location. I will take the gold to an assessor to evaluate the appropriate exchange for five hundred thousand US dollars. Of course, the assessor is legally obligated to report anything over ten thousand dollars to the Department of Homeland Security. But if you’d prefer…”